Dear CT Birding Community,
Conservation planning is a critical component of the Important Bird Area (IBA) program, providing Audubon, landowners, land managers and other stakeholders with a strategic, science-based approach for future conservation and habitat management activities. An IBA conservation plan identifies threats, defines actions to address the most important needs for an IBA in order to maintain and protect key species, and outlines opportunities to engage landowners and other interested parties in the conservation, monitoring, and outreach activities at the IBA.
Audubon Connecticut is currently seeking proposals from colleges and universities, non-profit organizations, consultants or qualified individuals to develop an Important Bird Area (IBA) conservation plan for East Rock Park in New Haven, CT.
The plan should utilize the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (http://www.conservationmeasures.org/) developed by the Conservation Measures Partnership. Using Miradi adaptive management software, the Open Standards provide a framework for planning, implementing, monitoring, analyzing, learning from, and adapting conservation projects. The plan should be no more than 20 pages* and should focus on:
1) What makes the sites an IBA and which areas are important to birds of conservation concern or large numbers of birds
2) Threats to the IBA and the birds it supports
3) Special considerations (such as landscape scale considerations, non-avian endangered or threatened species to consider, and any particularly relevant historical information).
4) Identification of conservation targets and goals
5) Conservation actions that will reduce threats to conservation targets and allow goals to be reached.
6) Which metrics to use to measure the success of the plan in reaching the conservation goals.
The full Request for Proposals can be viewed at: http://ct.audubon.org/news/audubon-connecticut-seeking-proposals-development-conservation-plan-east-rock-park-new-haven
Information on the East Rock Park IBA is available at: http://ct.audubon.org/conservation/east-rock-park
Proposals should be submitted by Mar. 31st, 2016. To submit proposals or if you have questions, contact:
Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe
IBA Program Coordinator
185 East Flat Hill Rd.
Southbury, CT 06488
Cfolsom-okeefe at audubon.org
Thank you!